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2021-03-01 Bird Watching

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Published by HASLINDA BASRI, 2021-02-13 05:41:25

Bird Watching

2021-03-01 Bird Watching

9 AUKS 10 GREY GEESE
12
At-a-glance ID guide to UK birds At-a-glance ID guide to UK birds

11 Guillemot Greylag Goose

G Medium-large, ‘penguin-shaped’ G Largest goose, much larger than others
G Narrow, pointed bill; unmarked G Pale brown head & most of plumage
G Blackish-brown head, breast & back G Lots of pale grey in wing
G Pure white belly G Lots of white in tail
G Blackish feet G Big orange bill
G Pink legs & feet
Razorbill
Pink-footed Goose
G Medium-large, ‘penguin-shaped’
G Flattened, broad bill; white stripes G Small goose
G Black head, breast & back G Darker brown head and upper neck
G Pure white belly G Frosty blue-grey in wing
G Blackish feet G Lots of white in tail
G Small black & pink bill
Puffin G Pink legs & feet

G Small & chunky Tundra Bean Goose
G Massive flattened bill; very colourful
G Black & silver head, black back & wings G Small goose (slightly larger than Pinkfoot)
G Pure white belly G Darker brown head and upper neck
G Orange feet G Brown wings with limited grey
G Narrow band of white in tail (largely dark)
Black Guillemot G Chunky triangular black & orange bill
G Orange legs & feet
G Small, ‘penguin-shaped’
G Narrow, pointed bill; unmarked GREENLAND RACE White-fronted Goose
G Blackish head, breast, belly & back
G Large white oval in wing G Small goose (variable black belly bands)
G Red feet G Slightly darker brown head/neck, white front
G Brown wings with limited grey
Little Auk (winter) G Narrow band of white in tail (largely dark)
G Long orange bill
G Tiny, Starling-sized, rounded G Orange legs & feet
G Tiny, blunt bill
G Black & white head, white ‘flecks’ on black back EUROPEAN RACE White-fronted Goose
G Pure white belly
G Dark grey feet G Small goose (variable black belly bands)
G Mid-brown head/neck, white front
PIPITS (AND SKY LARK) G Brown wings with limited grey
G Narrow band of white in tail
At-a-glance ID guide to UK birds G Small pink bill
G Orange legs & feet
Meadow Pipit ALL PICTURES: ALAMY
ALL PICTURES: ALAMY
G Small pipit
G Well streaked brown back ‘BLACK’ CROWS
G White/ochre below; even black streaks
G Plain ‘face’; pale eye-ring At-a-glance ID guide to UK birds
G Thin, weak, pale bill
G Orange/pink legs & feet Raven

Tree Pipit G Very large (Buzzard-sized)
G All black; master of aerobatics
G Small pipit G Massive, well-feathered bill
G Well streaked brown back G Long wings taper from broad base
G White/ochre below; streaks finer on flanks G Long, shaggy neck, in flight
G ‘Face’: dark eyestripe, pale spot on ‘cheek’ G Long, wedge-shaped tail
G Stronger pale bill than Meadow
G Orange/pink legs & feet Carrion Crow

Rock Pipit G Medium large (crow-sized!)
G All black; default crow
G Large pipit G Medium, well-feathered bill
G Plain, olive-grey back G Broad, fingered wings
G Variable below; lots of smudgy streaks G Short neck, in flight
G Plain dark ‘face’; dark lores, pale eye-ring G Medium, squarish tipped tail
G Strong, largely dark bill
G Dark legs & feet Rook

Tree Pipit (winter) G Medium large (crow-sized!)
G All black; nests in rookeries
G Large pipit G Naked grey skin on face & narrow bill base
G Plain, grey-brown back G Broad, fingered wings
G White below; few fine black streaks G Short neck, in flight
G Pale supercilium (‘eyebrow’); dark lores G Medium, rounded-tipped tail
G Strong dark/pale bill
G Dark legs & feet Jackdaw

Sky Lark G Small (dove-sized)
G Grey & black with whitish eye
G Large and chunky lark G Short, stubby bill
G Spotted/streaked brown back G Short, narrow wings
G Streaked breast (faint on flanks) G No neck in flight
G Erectile crest, pale supercilium G Medium, squarish-tipped tail
G Thicker bill than pipits
G Orange/pink legs & feet Chough

G Smallish (pigeon sized)
G All black; master of aerobatics
G Thin, downcurved, red bill
G Very broad, fingered wings
G Small head & thin bill in flight
G Broad-based, squarish-tipped tail
ALL PICTURES: ALAMY
ALL PICTURES: ALAMY

FREE! EXPERT ID CARDS CUT OUT
AND

KEEP!

PLUS

ID essentials
for beginners

Step-by-step tips to help
separate tricky species

BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING BIRD MAGAZINE £4.70

OM MARCH 2021

Britain’s Bitterns are bouncing back WETLAND
– track one down this spring WILDERNESS

NATURAL SOLUTIONS Explore the birding

Find out how protecting Barn Owls hotspots of The Broads
could help make farming ‘greener’

My200BirdYear

You could find 100+ species
within two miles of home

WINTER WONDERS

Ruth Miller appreciates the Redwing’s understated beauty

More
discoveries.

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SIGN UP TODAY FOR 2021

#My200BirdYear challenge

birdwatching.co.uk/my200

BIRDING QUESTION Osprey

We ask this month’s
contributors: What’s your favourite
species that’s made a UK comeback?

HEMIS/ALAMY*

Ruth Miller: Red Kite! From a
tiny remnant population in
mid-Wales, this iconic species
has made an incredible recovery

ROBIN CHITTENDEN/ALAMY* Welcome NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY

DAVID CHAPMAN/ALAMY* David Chandler: Bittern or Everybody loves a survivor, ...and the Bird Watching ALL CANADA PHOTOS/ALAMY*
Crane. And now I have both at like our cover bird, the team’s answers
the end of the road, and even beautiful Bittern, or the BUITEN-BEELD/ALAMY*
audible from home! Osprey (above), which has Matt Merritt: Peregrine.
survived and then thrived in I dreamed of seeing one as a
David Lindo: The ultimate Scotland, and now in the rest of the child – now they’re almost daily.
comeback has to be the Peregrine. UK. They’re reminders that
There can’t be a person in the UK conservation work (and that Mike Weedon: Cetti’s
that hasn’t heard of this bird includes what so many of you do), Warbler, a recent colonist that’s
can achieve great things. becoming more widespread.
This issue also sees the latest in our series of cut-out- COVER - BITTERN: DAVID TIPLING PHOTO LIBRARY/ALAMY; REDWING: RAY WILSON/ALAMY
and-keep, at-a-glance ID cards, with an accompanying Mike Roberts: We are so
feature to help you further. And if you missed either of lucky to have magnificent
the first two sets of cards, don’t worry, you can still Cranes so close to home!
download them at http://bit.ly/39pTugY
So, brush up your ID, and even if lockdown is
keeping you confined to the immediate environs of
your home, you’ll find that you’re seeing more birds
than before. Have a great birding month!

AVICO LTD/ALAMY* SUBSCRIBE ARTERRA PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY*
FROM ONLY
Ian Parsons: The Bittern. Still Matt Merritt, editor £2.80*
very hard birds to see, but just A MONTH
knowing they are there is @ [email protected] SEE PAGE 6
‘booming’ marvellous! *DIGITAL ONLY
facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag
GET IN TOUCH: twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag
Bird Watching, Media House, instagram/birdwatchingmag
Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA

birdwatching.co.uk 3

MARCH Contents

22 40

ON THE COVER FEATURES 68
72
20 My200BirdYear 20 My200BirdYear
22 Booming Bitterns
30 Bird ID essentials Your journey to seeing 200 species
40 Barn Owls in 2021 starts here!
69 Redwings by Ruth Miller
80 The Broads 22 Bittern boom time

SIGN UP Britain’s Bitterns are bouncing back
NOW! – will you get to see (or hear) one
this spring?
BIRDWATCHING.
CO.UK/MY200 28 My 2mile bird year

4 March 2021 How David Chandler fared in his
2020 birding mission

30 Bird ID essentials

Top tips on identifying the
birds featured in this issue’s
cut-out-and-keep at-a-glance ID cards

40 Barn Owls

Why this beautiful bird often falls
victim to poisoning

68 Redwings

Why grey winter days are made
brighter by this colourful character

72 Lovely Linnets

Dominic Couzens on why it’s
important to listen for the Linnet

12

8

80 NEWS & VIEWS

IN THE FIELD BIRD THE WORLD 16 Weedon’s World

8 Your Birding Month 76 Grantown-on-Spey This month, Mike talks about one
of his favourite birds – Jack Snipe
What makes Corn Bunting our Bird Enjoy spring in Scotland with the
of the Month? Plus, five great birds Bird Watching team on a week-long 18 NewsWire
to look for this month wildlife-watching trip!
Concern over Kittiwake deterrent
14 Beyond Birdwatching 79 UK birding hotspots netting along the River Tyne

The wan sun of spring gladdens Three great birding sites to visit 19 Grumpy Old Birder
the naturalist’s heart, says once travel restrictions have eased
James Lowen – start planning now! Bo Beolens looks for quality, not
quantity, in his seawatching
47 ID Challenge 80 The Broads
65 Readers’ letters
Test your knowledge of waterbirds The bird- and wildlife-rich
which habitually dive to feed Broads are a magnet for birders Covering mushrooms with
– Ed Hutchings visits and enjoys cow-pats, and more!
53 Go Birding what’s on offer
67 Q&As
10 great birding destinations to 84 Urban birds
head to for brilliant birding Our experts answer your
In a change to his regular column birding questions
SUBSCRIBE FOR (owing to travel restrictions)
David Lindo concentrates on the 114 Back Chat
£2.80 urban birds themselves
Producer and writer Mary Colwell
PER MONTH* BIRDS ON THE BRINK is in the Q&A hotseat

SEE OVER THE PAGE 88 Aquatic Warbler BIRD SIGHTINGS

*DIGITAL ONLY WHEN YOU PAY BY DIRECT DEBIT A look at the conservation issues 97 Rarity Round-Up
surrounding the increasingly rare
Aquatic Warbler The ‘best’ of the rare birds seen in
the UK during December

101 UK Bird Sightings

A comprehensive round-up of
birds seen during December

GEAR & REVIEWS

90 Gear

Celestron’s Night Vision
monocular put through its paces

92 Wishlist

Birding-related goodies include
gloves, mugs and boots

93 Books

Flight Identification of European
Passerines is Book of the Month

birdwatching.co.uk 5

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Terms & Conditions: Subscriptions will start with the next available issue. The minimum term is 13 issues. You will not receive a renewal reminder and the Direct Debit payments will continue to be taken
unless you tell us otherwise. This offer closes on 10th March 2021 and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Cost from landlines for 01 numbers per minute are (approximate) 2p to 10p.
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6 March 2021

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BILL COSTER/ALAMY* SUBSCRIBE TODAY “Our mission is to bring you
& BENEFIT FROM: everything you need for brilliant
birding – and with this offer you can
Q W e will deliver for FREE / get an subscribe to the magazine for just
instant download to your £2.80 a month! Don’t miss out –
smartphone/ tablet take advantage of this great
offer today!”
Q Seek out new birds & explore nature
Matt Merritt, editor
Q Never miss an issue

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Order online today!
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birdwatching.co.uk 7

YOUR ARNDT SVEN-ERIK, ARTERRA PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY
BIRDING
MONTH

MARCH

BIRD OF THE MONTH

CORN BUNTING

In some ways the Corn Bunting is the ultimate LBJ
(little brown job), being streaky, brown and
nondescript in the extreme (except for being one big,
chunky bunting!). But they are great birds, and have
suffered massive declines across most of the country,
like so many of our smaller birds, falling victim to
modern farming practices (they’re now on the Red
List o  f declining birds).

It is not just their large size, relative scarcity and
charming leg dangling flight which makes them
attractive. It is also their famous, stuttering, insanely
rapid, ‘jangling keys’ song, which is so evocative of
how bird-rich open country ‘should’ sound (and still
does over less intensively farmed areas of Europe).

Corn Buntings even sing in the mid-winter, given a
nice singing day. But it is in the spring, when they are
setting up and defending territories, that their crazy
song sounds at its best. If you are lucky enough to
have Corn Buntings close to home, enjoy them this
spring, when they are at their dowdy, dumpy best.

8 March 2021

DID YOU ARNDT SVEN-ERIK, ARTERRA PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY
KNOW?

After massive declines
across the country, there
are currently only about
11,000 breeding pairs of

Corn Bunting in the
whole of the UK

birdwatching.co.uk 9

FIVE TO FIND IN MARCH

March is the first month of
true spring migration. Some
of our wintering species are
heading to the far north,
while the first of our summer
visitors are appearing. Here
are five great birds to catch
up with as spring kicks in.

twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag

facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag

KIT DAY/ALAMY

RARITY RATINGS 1 REDWING

Common, widely distributed Although not a bird we really associate with spring (more with winter), March sees gatherings
Localised – always a treat of these handsome little thrushes in woods, getting ready for their return to the continent
Very scarce or rare and their far away breeding grounds. And part of this preparation is practising singing, which
they do en masse, as a wonderful chorus, resembling the mass singing of flocks of Starlings.
DID YOU Listen as well as look for Redwings before their departure.
KNOW?
2 GREENFINCH
Despite massive
population crashes A bird which does exactly what it says on the tin, a
there are still more male Greenfinch is a spectacularly bright green…
than 1.7 million UK er… finch. Much declined in recent years (partly
breeding pairs of due to disease), these angry looking fellows are at
their best in spring, with their glorious ‘butterfly’
Greenfinches display flight accompanied by the twittering,
wheezing, almost ‘sneering’ song. Glorious.

DAVID SEWELL/ALAMY

10 March 2021

RARITY
PREDICTOR

Spring allows an extra level of outrageousness
to any rarity predictions. But these three
rarities have at least turned up in March
before. Will they this year?

KIT DAY/ALAMY STEFAN HUWILER, IMAGEBROKER/ALAMY*

3 DARTFORD WARBLER LESSER KESTREL

Dartford Warblers are tiny but very hardy, surviving our (admittedly increasingly mild) winters, During last spring’s lockdown (from March), an
rather than migrating south like most other warblers. They are primarily birds of heathland, with adult male Lesser Kestrel took up residence on
heather and gorse, and can be shy birds, only appearing briefly to fly weakly between hiding places, St Mary’s, Scilly (for more than a month).
or to deliver a brief scratchy song or call. Like most other Sylvia warblers, they show sexual What chance an accessible one of these rare
dimorphism, with males having darker, richer colours than females. (c.35 accepted UK records) southern
European falcons turning up for all to see?

4 GREY PLOVER BLICKWINKEL/ALAMY

There are more than 40,000 Grey Plovers wintering in the UK. They are large, robust PETER WALKDEN/ALAMY LESSER WHITE-FRONTED
plovers, with thicker bills than the more delicate (and more abundant) Golden Plovers. GOOSE
And, living up to their name, they are predominantly grey birds in the winter. As the
spring progresses, though, they (especially males) gain the spectacular, spangly Once upon a time, this small, rare goose was a
just about annual visitor to Slimbridge WWT,
upperparts and black underparts which give them their alternative, North American Gloucestershire. Nowadays they are pretty
name: Black-bellied Plover. Unlike Golden Plovers, most Grey Plovers are darn rare, again. The origins of any bird are
coast-loving, beach, saltmarsh and estuary-loving always questioned, especially as there is a
waders. But, some do wander inland at this time recently established population of naturalised
of year, especially turning up on foggy, drizzly birds on the near continent (eg Netherlands).
days which tend to ‘bring down’ waders, as
they cross the country.

SHAUN CONWAY/ALAMY 5 SPARROWHAWK WILDSCOTPHOTOS/ALAMY*

The beautiful little Sparrowhawk is an avian GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL
killer which is paradoxically welcomed and admired
by many of us bird lovers! It is easily argued that in The big pale gull which accompanies salmon
fishing Grizzly Bears in all those North
population terms, ‘the prey controls the predator’, American nature documentaries, the
though, so there is no need to feel bad about loving Glaucous-winged Gull is a Pacific species.
these wonderful raptors. At this time of year, look out There have been six records of these big brutes
in the UK (though some are of the same bird).
for the spectacular diving and ‘sky dancing’ Check all big, ugly, pale gulls again, in March!
display flight, accompanied with odd yelping cries.
If you don’t already love Sparrowhawks, this display

will win your heart!

birdwatching.co.uk 11

WHAT’S IN A NAME? DANIELE OCHIATO, AGAMI PHOTO AGENCY/ALAMY

FERRUGINOUS DUCK

The bird which many birders rudely call a ‘Fudge Duck’ is a
rare visitor from continental Europe. The word ferruginous
means containing iron or rusty; or less literally, being
coloured in the red-brown colour of rust. There are various
birds around the world which have attracted this first
given name, including a babbler, hawk, partridge,
flycatcher, pygmy owl and a couple of antbirds. And
of course the red-brown Ferruginous Duck of
eastern and southern Europe.

EARLY MIGRANTS FLPA/ALAMY* TRACKS & SIGNS
IN NUMBERS
CHIFFCHAFF SONG MIKE LANE/ALAMY
150,000
Breeding pairs One of the great signs of the
of Sand Martin beginnings of spring proper, is
in the UK hearing the repetitive song of the
Chiffchaff. One morning, you go
1.2million out and suddenly, there it is, and
Number of UK breeding pairs another, and perhaps another still.
of Chiffchaff The song is not quite as simple as
11,000 the name suggests, more like a
UK breeding population of slightly random mix of ‘chiffs’ and
Sandwich Tern (pairs) ‘chaffs’ interspersed with soft
‘hurrs:’ ‘chiff chaff chiff chiff chaff
1938 chiff… (churr churr churr churr)…
Chiff chaff chiff chiff chiff chaff’.
Year Little Ringed Plover first bred So, it is less stereotyped than the
in the UK louder ‘teacher teacher’ songs of
the Great Tit, which is the main
14-100 (sound) confusion species.

Number of breeding pairs of Garganey FIELDCRAFT
in the UK
REPEAT VIEWING
240,000 MARK HICKEN/ALAMY* NIGEL PYE/ALAMY*
We are, ironically, being a tad
Number of pairs repetitive in repeating this advice,
of Wheatear but it needs saying again, every now
which breed in and then. Spring is a time of birds on
the UK the move. So, even if you check a site
first thing in the morning, new birds
can occur during the day. It is always
worth retracing your steps and
checking again. This is particularly
true of looking for diurnal migrant
birds such as new-in Sand Martins,
which may call in at a waterbody for
a short spell before moving on.

12 March 2021





YOUR BIRDING MONTH

Winter to spring waders UK TIDES
MARCH
The UK’s coasts, estuaries and saltmarshes are important wintering sites for several wading bird species, including these
birds which seem more prominent at this time of year, prior to the great spring migration north (for most shorebird species). The times below are
for high tide, when
waders and wildfowl
will be pushed closer

to dry land...

Find the location closest to
your destination and add or
subtract the hours and minutes
from the high tide timeat
London Bridge, below.

IAN BUTLER PHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY DAVID TIPLING, NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY Date Time m Time m

Curlew Black-tailed Godwit 1M 03:10 7.11 15:30 7.29
2Tu 03:48 7.20 16:10 7.24
Comfortably our biggest wading bird, the Curlew Often appearing in flocks thousands strong, Icelandic Black- 3W 04:25 7.20 16:50 7.05
looks almost like a small gull in flight, until you see tailed Godwits seem particularly prominent in March, prior to 4Th 05:03 7.09 17:30 6.75
that mighty, downcurved bill. Brown and streaky with the return to the breeding grounds. Black-tailed Godwits have 5F 05:45 6.89 18:15 6.42
a V-shaped white rump patch, and no wing-bars, a stronger preference for freshwater and hence inland sites, 6Sa 06:33 6.62 19:06 6.09
the Curlew can only be confused with the smaller, than the essentially coastal Bar-tailed Godwits. They have very 7Su 07:33 6.29 20:13 5.80
shorter-billed Whimbrel. The calls are among the most long legs and a long straight bill; and have obvious wing-bars, a 8M 08:51 6.02 21:38 5.66
evocative of all bird sounds. small square white rump and black tail, seen best in flight. 9Tu 10:18 5.99 23:09 5.83
10W 11:42 6.26
11Th 00:20 6.23 12:46 6.63
12F 01:12 6.55 13:35 6.86
13Sa 01:54 6.74 14:16 6.94
14Su 02:31 6.86 14:53 6.96
15M 03:04 6.95 15:25 6.94
16Tu 03:35 7.01 15:54 6.86
17W 04:04 6.97 16:21 6.72
18Th 04:33 6.83 16:47 6.54
19F 05:00 6.62 17:15 6.32
20Sa 05:31 6.38 17:47 6.07
21Su 06:09 6.11 18:28 5.79
22M 06:57 5.82 19:24 5.50
23Tu 08:03 5.57 20:47 5.33
24W 09:41 5.62 22:31 5.59
25Th 11:02 6.04 23:43 6.09
26F 12:05 6.52
27Sa 00:37 6.54 12:57 6.90
28Su 01:23 6.86 13:42 7.14
29M 02:05 7.11 14:25 7.29
30Tu 02:45 7.31 15:06 7.35
31W 03:24 7.43 15:47 7.28

SOUTH WEST

NICK UPTON, NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY Weston-Super-Mare NORTH WEST

(+5:05) Whitehaven (-2:30)

Barnstaple (+4:30) Douglas (-2:44)

Newquay (+3:32) Morecambe (-2:33)

Falmouth (+3:30) Blackpool (-2:50)

Plymouth (+4:05)

Torquay (+4:40) NORTH EAST

Bournemouth Skegness (+4:29)

(-5:09)* Grimsby (+4:13)

Portland (+4:57) Bridlington (+2:58)

FLPA/ALAMY St Peter Port Whitby (+2:20)

(+4:53) Hartlepool (+1:59)

Swanage (-5:19)* Blyth (+1:46)

Portsmouth (-2:29) Berwick (+0:54)

Sanderling Turnstone Southampton (-2:53)

In winter Sanderlings are ghostly white little waders, familiar Mid-sized, the Turnstone is a uniquely shaped wader SCOTLAND
as the birds which chase along the small wavelets breaking on (in a European context: there is a Pacific relative, the Black
sandy beaches, looking like clockwork toys running along. In Turnstone, which is similarly shaped), with a chisel-like bill for SOUTH EAST Leith (+0:58)
flight the wings look strikingly black and white. turning over seaweed, shells and stones (of course), to look for
invertebrate morsels. Happy on rocky as well as sandy habitats Ryde (-2:29) Dundee (+1:12)
(with seaweed), they occasionally turn up inland in March.
Look for the complex face pattern and obvious white back and Brighton (-2:51) Aberdeen (-0:18)
white wing bars in flight.
Eastbourne (-2:48) Fraserburgh (-1:28)

Dungeness (-3:05) Lossiemouth (-2:00)

Dover (-2:53) Wick (-2:29)

Margate (-1:52) Lerwick (-2:50)

Herne Bay (-1:24) Stromness (-4:29)

Southend-on-sea(-1:22) Scrabster (-5:09)

Clacton-on-sea (-2:00) Stornoway (+5:30)

Ullapool (+5:36)

EAST ANGLIA Gairloch (+5:16)

Felixstowe Pier (-2:23) Oban (+4:12)

Aldeburgh (-2:53) Greenock (-1:19)

CHRIS GOMERSHALL NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY Lowestoft (-4:23) Ayr (-1:44)

Cromer (+4:56) Campbeltown

Hunstanton (+4:44) (-1:12)

Knot Girvan (-1:51)

Renowned as the ‘murmurating’ waders in every WALES Kirkcudbright Bay
modern nature documentary, Knots are medium-sized,
chunky sandpipers, the next size up from, say, a Dunlin. Colwyn Bay (-2:47) (-2:25)
In winter they are among the greyest of grey wading
birds, although later in the spring they will attain lovely Holyhead (-3:28)
brick-red underparts.
Barmouth (-5:45) IRELAND

Aberystwyth (-6:11) Londonderry (-5:32)

Fishguard (+5:44) Belfast (-2:47)

Swansea (+4:42) Donegal(+4:20)

Milford Haven (+4:37)

Cardiff (+5:15)

*Approximate times due to large variance
between the month’s neap and spring tides. All
times are GMT.

birdwatching.co.uk 13

YOUR BIRDING MONTH

Beyond
Birdwatching

The wan sun of early spring gladdens the INSECT
naturalist’s heart, James Lowen reckons
Hirsute bug
DEEP PURPLE
An eye-catchingly bright shieldbug wandering across foliage in
Stroll along a shingle beach between Cumbria and gardens, parks or woodlands this month may well be a Hairy
North Wales, or twixt Cornwall and Suffolk, and you Shieldbug. The combination of purplish-brown and green
are likely to spot the odd clump of young, fleshy, coloration is distinctive, as are the black-and-white stripes
indigo leaves. These belong to Sea Kale, a member of adorning the abdomen sides and antennae. Scrutinise the bug
the cabbage family (Brassicaceae). Although still carefully to discern the hairs enshrined in this insect’s name.
locally common, Sea Kale populations have declined
massively as a result of over-harvesting for food. PLANT

Chalk bloom

A scattering of mauve flowers on
chalk downland or other lime-rich
soils is likely to be Hairy Violet,
which blooms from late March to
May. Unlike the similar and more
widespread Sweet Violet, it lacks
creeping runners.

INSECT PLANT MOTH

Willow no wisp Birch devil

An early source of abundant nectar – and thus a favourite of moths and The apparent dense pile of a
bee-flies – is furnished by the male catkins of Salix trees, better known as Yellow Horned’s wings reminds
willows. The UK harbours getting on for 20 species, of which Goat Willow is me peculiarly of an old woollen
one of the most widespread. ‘granddad coat’. Flying in
March and April, notably
INSECT around Birch trees, this moth
pleases in both its angular
Helicopter shape and dense patterning –
but above all in the searingly
If you spot a ‘bee’ hovering in mid-air, there’s a good chance it will yellow antennae after which
actually be a bee-mimicking hoverfly. One of the first to emerge it is named.
each year is Eristalis pertinax, sometimes called the Tapered Drone
Star with stripes Fly. It occurs throughout the UK and in pretty much every habitat. PICTURES: JAMES LOWEN
The hovering insect is a male defending its territory.
Last spring, perhaps as a direct result
of COVID-19 compressing our
horizons, I joined many naturalist
friends in appreciating the joys of
mining bees. As their name suggests,
these solitary insects construct nests
in underground tunnels, the presence
of which is revealed by a volcano of
soil pierced by an entrance hole. Their
genus, Andrena, contains about 60
British species – more than any of
our other bee genera. Most species
are difficult to differentiate... but I
think(!) this one is Buffish Mining
Bee, a widespread species.

14 March 2021

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PATCH DIARY

Mike prefers the plural Jack Snipes (with a final ‘s’) and this
month will be using it very often, about one of his favourite birds

It may astonish you (it always does me) to learn
that there are an estimated 110,000 Jack Snipes
creeping around the damp areas of the UK, each
winter. Unlike other lurkers in damp places, like
Water Rails or Cetti’s Warblers, Jack Snipes don’t
give themselves away by being loudmouths.
Instead they quietly bob and feed, bob and feed, unseen

and unheard, more than 100,000 of them!

When I was a youngster, visiting my father’s family

in Ayrshire, in the summer holidays, my brothers and

I claimed to have seen a Jack Snipe on Fenwick Moor.

This was terrible stringing, of course, and we were just

exaggerating and projecting our wishful thinking on a

Snipe, unaware that the Jack Snipe does not really

breed on the damp moors of western Scotland.

I only have distant, vague memories of my first ‘real’ MIKE WEEDON

Jack Snipe. It was perhaps 40 years ago, on a YOC trip,

when I was a teen in London’s southern suburbs, and if

I recall correctly, it was at Beddington Sewage Farm,

and it was a fleeting flight view. each year. And, sadly, it is has been by the nearly-tread- Above
Jack Snipe,
Years later, I got my first decent views of one bobbing on-the-bird flush technique. near Peterborough,
Cambridgeshire,
at the edge of a reedbed. I think it was in Kent, but But, wait! Shhh! A silent, hidden revolution has been January 2021

I have seen more of the blighters in north Norfolk. And going on, in and around wet, reedy margins across the Mike Weedon
is a lover of all
they are a delight on the eye; smaller than a Snipe, and country (and beyond). Over the last few years, birders wildlife, a local bird
‘year lister’, and a
with half a Snipe’s bill and a different pattern of stripes. have started to realise the potential of thermal imaging keen photographer,
around his home city
Their pièce de résistance, though is the ‘bob’ or devices. These are basically the domestic equivalent of of Peterborough,
where he lives with
‘bounce’. Unlike, say wagtails or Common or Green those fancy infrared imaging cameras you see on his wife, Jo, and
children, Jasmine
Sandpipers, Jack Snipes don’t see-saw around a central nature documentaries. and Eddie. You can
see his photos at
axis; they bounce vertically! It is countless years since Jack Snipe (or other birds) may prefer to remain weedworld.
blogspot.com
I have witnessed a Jack Snipe bouncing, though. The hidden from normal view, with their cryptic

bouncing is something I have never seen around patterning, crouching and remaining within vegetation;

Peterborough. We do have plenty of Jack Snipes around but they are warm little fellows, and can’t hide this

here, surely, but getting a decent look is another thing. from thermal imaging devices.

Until the winter just past I had only once seen a Jack A couple of my friends now possess thermal imaging

Snipe on the ground in the Peterborough area: one monoculars and it has opened up a new world for their

frozen winter, one was feeding in a ditch by a little open birding. I told one of these newly equipped birders,

water; just visible with a scope. Will, of a site where I had nearly trodden on a Jack

In the early 2000s a small group of local birders Snipe, near Christmas-time. Jack Snipes can be very

(including me) used to do loyal to particular spots, and a

monthly Jack Snipe surveys of A SILENT, HIDDEN few days later, the shining heat
the edge of an artificial lake REVOLUTION HAS BEEN revealed it was back in the
called CEGB Reservoir in the same spot, and watchable
southern part of the city. We GOING ON AROUND without the need to flush.

never saw them on the deck, WET, REEDY MARGINS I joined Will a week or two
though – it was more of an later and, using the power of

exercise in controlled flushing. his ‘new toy’, we relocated

Jack Snipes are very reluctant fliers, crouching and almost certainly the same bird. It saw us, too, and was

hiding until the last footstep is almost upon them, crouching rather than bouncing. But, surely it was a

before rising and flying off maybe 30-50m and dropping better way of surveying for cryptic birds than trampling

again. Our record lunchtime session produced 29 though feeding habitat and flushing. It was amazing to

individuals from this one patch! see such a bird closer than I had ever seen a Jack Snipe,

Sadly, CEGB Reservoir is now overly flooded (and with every detail of the plumage revealed.

its shore partly surrounded by new houses)and not I probably won’t be getting a thermal imager, myself,

a Jack Snipe locality any more. Instead, we locals (too expensive for one thing), but I acknowledge that

know a very few chosen sites where we see Jack Snipe the future’s bright, the future’s infrared.

16 March 2021

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NEWSWI E

ALL THE BIGGEST BIRD NEWS & EVENTS

PROTEST

Kittiwake concerns

Deterrent netting Newcastle’s nesting
along River Tyne Kittiwakes and some of
could prevent colony the existing netting
from nesting

REPORT MATT MERRITT

T he first colony of MARK CURETON
Kittiwakes to
nest alongside the Gateshead – totalling over has started a petition on following a series of
River Tyne could 1,600 nests altogether – are change.org to save the North incidents where individual
be lost because thus an important base for the Shields nesters. Kittiwakes became accidentally
of deterrent netting. species. The Newcastle and caught, and in some instances
Gateshead colonies are the He said: “This site has perished, as a result of unfit
An average of 13 pairs of furthest inland nesting colonies been smothered in bird- bird deterrent netting.
Kittiwakes have nested on the in the world. deterrent netting. They will
Ferry Mews building at North be at a loss, on returning from “Members of the Tyne
Shields, on North Tyneside, for Ornithologist Dan Turner, sea, to find their nest site Kittiwake Partnership
the last 20 years, having first who has studied the Tyne blocked off. It will be a very sad worked alongside the
nested there 70 years ago. Last Kittiwakes for the last 27 years, day and such a shame if this RSPCA to support rescue
year they raised 16 young. has contacted North Tyneside site is lost after the birds have operations and collaborative
Council leader Norma Redfearn nested there for so long.” efforts have continued in an
However, deterrent netting and Tynemouth MP Alan attempt to prevent this from
has been installed on the Campbell about the birds, and The Tyne Kittiwake happening again.”
building, just ahead of the Partnership was formed to
birds’ expected return at the safeguard the population along A North Tyneside Council
end of February. the Tyne, and includes the spokesman said: “It’s not
Natural History Society of within our powers to take
While Kittiwakes are the UK’s Northumbria, RSPB, action here, as the use of
most numerous breeding gull, Northumberland and Durham netting as a deterrent is not
both nationally and Wildlife Trusts, Newcastle, illegal as long as it is installed
internationally they are a Gateshead, North and South before any nest building. This is
red-listed species, having Tyneside Councils, Newcastle a private building and it is the
suffered a population drop of University and individual responsibility of the property
around 40% in the last 50 researchers and ornithologists. owners to ensure that any
years. The Tyne colonies, at netting does not result in any
North Shields, Newcastle and A spokesperson for the harm to local wildlife.”
partnership said: “2018 saw G To sign the petition, go to
MARK CURETON these birds receive https://bit.ly/2LYTGel
unprecedented media attention

18 March 2021

NEWS & OPINION

NEWS IN BRIEF GRU M P Y O LD BI RDER

Seabird success It’s quality, not quantity when it comes to
seawatching, says Bo, reminiscing about last year…
The Namibian Albatross Task
Force is celebrating after a decade I’m always a day late for seawatching. When a another shock. Shearing along closer to me than
of work with the country’s fishing good day is promised I’m otherwise engaged any I’ve seen outside of the Mediterranean, a
industry and fisheries managers or doubt the forecast and miss the epic Balearic Shearwater! Looking at my records, the
resulted in a 98% reduction in accumulations of seabirds. Yesterday was last one I saw was 13 years ago… in the same place!
seabird deaths as a result of Tesco delivery day and ‘she who must be
longline fishing. The RSPB and obeyed’ would have been more than miffed if I’d You know what it’s like, you can’t quite finish the
BirdLife International established left her to it. So, this morning was my usual ‘you take-away curry, so, you heat up the leftovers the
the ‘Albatross Task Force’ (ATF) never know stuff might still be about’ outing. next day and while there isn’t a lot of it, but
in South America and southern Totally lacking confidence, I dragged myself out of maturing overnight, boy does it taste good. This
Africa, to demonstrate simple bed in the half light and by 7am I was ensconced in was my seawatching today, quality, not quantity.
measures that prevent birds being my usual spot. This is a (freshly restored) Victorian
caught on longline fishing hooks. seaside shelter; the blue-and-white livery aping a Next along, a dozen Sandwich Terns, then a
In Namibia, threatened species Greek village. lone Black Tern, another year tick that I’m more
such as the Atlantic Yellow-nosed The tide was out – another mistake I regularly used to seeing over fresh water. Another blank
Albatross and White-chinned make, timing is everything and mine stinks. gap, then a whole bunch of Common Terns are
Petrel were badly affected. Nevertheless, I settled into my seat looking like an drifting with the wind and diving into the sea.
Extinction Rebellion adherent in my hoodie, face
Wetland call mask and combat jacket; fitting for this crusty, I follow their beautiful behaviour in my
curmudgeonly member. scope when one bird drops like a stone trying to
The Wildfowl and Wetlands I checked the sandbar between me and the wind avoid a marauding Arctic Skua. I’ve not seen one
Trust (WWT) is calling for turbine array that stretches across the bay and since lockdown and it’s a beauty, twisting and
more nature-rich wetlands in beyond, but no seals were hauled up. The incoming turning in the air harrying first one then another
the UK to help stop repeats of tide soon covered the sand bar, although a handful tern making it drop its catch, which the skua snaps
catastrophic flooding, such as of Great Black-backed Gulls hung on until the up in mid-air. The terns drift west but the skua
that which followed the recent water reached their oxters. glides down into the sea. Over the next half an
Storm Christophe. Wetlands There were gulls, a few Fulmars and a Kittiwake hour I check it every now and then until it
help naturally prevent and on a mostly calm sea with just a few white horses. eventually takes off and heads east.
mitigate the effects of flooding, Obviously, my usual ‘dip’ was happening.
and the WWT is pressing Wait! There goes a lone Common Scoter, only I stand to stretch and scope what’s left of the
for more of these habitats to my second of the year. Then several parties of exposed sand and rocks. Gulls and Oystercatchers
be incorporated into the UK scoter all heading into the wind in the east. Then are leaving the remaining mud. On the last rocks
Government’s flood alleviation out of the west, a dark brown bird heading are a small group of Teal… I can’t remember ever
policies ahead of World between me and the green buoy. In pre-Covid seeing them by the sea?
Wetlands Day on 2 February times this is a marker for groups of seawatchers to
2021. The UK has lost 90% of call out their sightings. My empty stomach tells me it’s time to pack up
its wetlands over the past Scoped at maximum zoom I could hardly believe and I take one more scan following a party of
400 years. my eyes. Year tick number one, a cracking juvenile Wigeon to the green buoy, coming in from
Long-tailed Skua! Ten minutes of nothing and then another angle a Guillemot gives me yet another
Biodiversity move year tick. Isn’t birding brilliant!

The impact of COVID-19 on Bo Beolens runs fatbirder.com and other
communities has led Severn websites. He has written a number of books.
Trent Water to release a one-off,
limited-time-only, funding pot GET IN
of £250,000 to support anyone TOUCH
wanting to improve biodiversity
in the region. Individuals, groups, Do you agree – or
and businesses in the Midlands disagree – with Bo’s
can apply for funding, so long comments? Email us at
as their project is for more than
0.5ha or covers at least 0.5km of birdwatching@
river or hedgerow, and must be bauermedia.co.uk
completed by 31 March 2021.
G To apply for funding, NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY Left Balearic
email ecologymatters@ Shearwater
severntrent.co.uk
G More information at  birdwatching.co.uk 19
http://bit.ly/36gXyy6

My200BirdYear

Haven’t signed up for our #My200BirdYear challenge yet?
Don’t worry, your journey to seeing 200 species in 2021 starts here!

WHAT IS IT? WHY TAKE PART?

TOM BAILEY
TOM BAILEY

G It’s very, very simple – we challenge YOU to see 200 species of G You’ll improve your ID skills, fieldcraft and all-round bird knowledge.
bird during 2021. G You’ll forge a closer connection with nature.
G You’ll boost your mental health.
G YOU set your own geographical restrictions – birds seen on your G You’ll get plenty of exercise and help yourself to stay healthy.
local patch, in your county, or bird club area, across the whole UK, G You’ll become part of a birdwatching community, online and in real life.
or beyond. It’s up to you. G You’ll get a huge sense of achievement.
G You’ll ENJOY IT!
G YOU decide what and what not to tick. You don’t have to run anything
past a records committee – just your conscience!

G YOU shape it to suit your lifestyle, location, lockdown restrictions, etc.
For example, count subspecies, to make the target more attainable. Or
only count birds you’ve photographed, if you’ve found it too easy before.

TOM BAILEY HOW DO I GET STARTED?

It’s very simple…

G Go to birdwatching.co.uk/my-200-sign-up

G Complete the form there, and you’re signed up – if you do so before the end of February 2021,
you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win a pair of CELESTRON TrailSeeker ED 8x32 Binoculars.

G Keep an eye on our website at birdwatching.co.uk for regular updates, tips, advice and more.

G Join our dedicated Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/My200BirdYear, to exchange
sightings, photos and birding knowledge.

G Buy Bird Watching magazine for monthly features on the which species to
look for, when, and where, and how to identify them when you do see them.

G Download our target list at birdwatching.co.uk/target-list/

G Get out there, and watch birds! Good luck!

20 March 2021

MY200BIRDYEAR

If you’re confident, or if you’ve completed the challenge before and want a
fresh slant on it, you can add  your own twist. Here’s a few you could try…

SELF-FOUND BIRDS PHOTOGRAPHED BIRDS

Wigeon

ARTERRA PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY*

Two hundred would probably take some doing in the UK, without a lot of travel and luck,
but it’s possible if you get to go further afield (even if it’s only a beach holiday in Spain,
travel restrictions permitting). So, no twitching, and no looking at your bird club’s sightings
page. It will improve your ID skills enormously, especially in picking birds out of flocks
(you’d probably need to find the likes of American Wigeon among Wigeon, for example).

GREENER BIRDING BIRDS TOM BAILEY

David Chandler lives close to You need a record shot of each one – it’s that simple. It doesn’t
Fen Drayton RSPB have to be anything award-winning, but it should be
recognisably the species in question.

DAVID BARTLETT/ALAMY* FAMILY-LISTED BIRDS

Our own David Chandler did this in 2020, more or less, birding only within two miles of
home. He’s lucky enough to live next to a great reserve, and he did use a canoe at times, so it
wasn’t all walking, but you get the idea – set some transport restrictions (birding by bike, or
birding by public transport, for example), and off you go.

HEARD BIRDS Grasshopper Warbler

To be honest, most birders do this to an DAVID TIPLING PHOTO LIBRARY/ALAMY* DAVID TIPLING PHOTO LIBRARY/ALAMY
extent. Your chances of seeing a Tawny
Owl can be pretty slim, for example, What’s better than passing on your knowledge of, and love
but most of us will hear them and tick for, birds? So it’s not just you that ticks each species – your
them, confidently. The same might be partner has to as well. And your children? Anyone else in your
true of species such as Water Rail, household? Your regular birding gang? We even know one or
Cetti’s Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, two birders who keep a bird list for their dog…
and even Nightingale. But you could
make this the year you get to grips with
noc-migging – listening to the calls of
birds flying over at night (you’ll
probably have to record them). It’s hard
work, but it can turn up the likes of
Common Scoter over the most
landlocked, water-free patch.

birdwatching.co.uk 21

DAVID SEWELL/ALAMYBOOMING

Bi ern

The recent success of the Bittern in the UK is a real
boost to our birdlife, so make sure you get out there
(when permitted to do so) and hear one for yourself!

WORDS IAN PARSONS

22 March 2021

BITTERN SPECIES

birdwatching.co.uk 23

W hen I was first starting FLPA/ALAMY Underneath the feathers, Bitterns are
to get serious about my surprisingly skinny and long-legged
birding, the dream of
seeing a Bittern was PUT HEARING THE BITTERN’S BOOM AT THE
just that, a dream. And TOP OF YOUR BIRDING WISHLIST
a not very achievable one either. There
were just a small handful of breeding 1990s there were just 11 booming males in organisations, and many wetland birds are
birds and these were found pretty much the whole of the country; and the future once again doing well in Britain. The
exclusively in just two areas of the for this difficult-to-see bird looked very heron family in particular has been quick
country: Lancashire and East Anglia. bleak. But things can change rapidly. to take advantage of this new and restored
Being based in Devon, the dream was Wetland restoration, creation and habitat. The Bittern has bounced back yet
indeed a distant one. conservation over the last three decades again, with the latest data estimating that
has been nothing short of amazing, there are now 191 booming males in the
But times change, and from a low ebb thanks to the work of many conservation country – a remarkable comeback from
of numbers in the 1990s, the Bittern has the handful in the 1990s.
bounced back. It is still a rare bird, one of
our rarest breeders, but it can now be
found in other parts of the country,
including in Devon. Of course, just
because its breeding range and numbers
have expanded, it doesn’t make it any
easier to see these magnificently cryptic
herons, but at least I know that there is
now a chance to see one, when I find
myself staring at impenetrable reedbeds!

The Bittern was once a widespread bird
in Britain, but extensive drainage of
wetlands and heavy hunting pressure
(apparently Bitterns were highly regarded
as a food for the rich) led to it rapidly
declining and by 1885, the Bittern had
become extinct in the UK. But the Bittern
wasn’t gone for long, and it was in 1911
that this compact and stocky heron was
once more recorded as breeding in Britain,
with a pair in Norfolk.

Gradually, the recolonisation gathered
pace, so that by the beginning of the
1950s, there were thought to be about
80 'booming' male Bitterns in Britain.

But just when it looked as though the
bird had become re-established, so it went
into another severe decline, and by the

Bitterns' eyes are placed so they can look MARGARET WELBY/ALAMY* Polygamous birds
down into water, past the bill, for prey
You will have noticed that I am
referring to booming males as opposed
to pairs, and there are two main reasons
for this. Firstly, Bitterns are very hard to
see, even when actively feeding, so they
are surveyed by listening to the
breeding call of the males, the classic
Bittern 'boom', one of the most distinctive
bird sounds there is. Secondly, the
breeding strategy of Bitterns is
polygamous – each booming male may
mate with up to five females, which means
that the word ‘pairs’ doesn’t have a lot of
meaning in the Bittern’s world!

The Bittern’s boom is an amazing
sound. If you have never heard it, then
I would suggest that you make it top of
your birding wishlist – it is a birding
experience that I whole heartedly
recommend. The call is a deep resonating

24 March 2021

BITTERN SPECIES

The feathers of the head and neck
are remarkably 'erectile', changing
the shape of the bird dramatically,
with its mood

WONDERFUL-EARTH.NET/ALAMY SPECIES FACTFILE
BITTERN

Scientific name: Botaurus stellaris
Length: 69-81cm
UK numbers: 191 breeding males/
up to 800 wintering birds
Habitat: Wetlands with large reedbeds
Diet: Fish, amphibians and insects

birdwatching.co.uk 25

BITTERN SPECIES

sound, its low pitch enables it to carry long Just occasionally, Bitterns
distances, with the call being audible for stray from cover and into
up to two miles. I can clearly remember the open
the first time I heard this magnificent bird
call. It was in the early 1990s, and I was in
Eastern Europe as the Iron Curtain
crumbled. I was at a piece of wetland that
formed a border with Russia, and from the
Russian side the boom of Bitterns carried
across to where I was standing. It took a
few seconds to register what I was
hearing, to recognise this strange sound as
the call of the elusive Bittern.

Once I had understood what I was
listening to, the first reaction was to reach
for the binoculars to see if I could see the
bird. But given the political situation at the
time, pointing optical equipment into
Russia was not overly advisable! Instead I
had to settle for listening rather than
looking, but that didn’t matter, standing
there hearing that great sound is an
experience that I will never forget.

Unforgettable sight GARY K SMITH/ALAMY

It was several years later that I finally got THE PLUMAGE OF THE BITTERN IS BEAUTIFUL,
to see a Bittern, a wintering bird in my ALTHOUGH IT IS ALSO FRUSTRATING WHEN TRYING
home county of Devon. Britain plays host TO SPOT ONE IN REED STEMS
to an estimated 795 birds during the
winter months, when birds move to escape enabling many birders to get great views If you are lucky, you might see a bird cross
the big freeze in other parts of Europe. of these often difficult to see birds.
This movement, coupled with the between clumps of reed, and in icy
dispersal of our resident population, can The plumage of the Bittern is beautiful,
lead to birds turning up in wetland although it is also frustrating when trying conditions you might even see one out on
habitats throughout the country, even to spot one in among reed stems! Its
habitats that don’t immediately look heavily streaked brown feathers coupled the ice. Many of our wetland reserves are
suitable. Bitterns are reedbed specialists, with the stealthy character of the bird
and breed at sites that have large extensive enable it to melt into the habitat. If home to the Bittern, with the Somerset
areas of reeds. But in the winter, they can alarmed it will stand stock still with its
settle for sites that have only a scattering neck extended and its bill pointing Levels, the Norfolk Broads, Minsmere,
of these tall wetland grasses. skyward in a behaviour called 'bitterning'.
Leighton Moss, Dungeness and the
So it was with the bird that I saw. The This posture creates vertical lines of
site was a busy country park based around differing shades, making this master of reedbeds on the now flooded industrial
a lake that had a small fringing of reeds; camouflage even harder to see in the
and it was on the edge of these reeds, in vertically lined world of reedbeds. In the sites of Yorkshire offering perhaps the best
full sight, that I saw my first Bittern, as it winter, though, they can be slightly easier
picked its way through the sparse stems. to see; the reeds have died back and some opportunities. These are birds that are
The bird was there throughout the winter, will have collapsed in the winter weather.
well worth seeing and hearing. They are

difficult to find, but with a bit of effort,

patience and luck you, too, can experience

these magnificent birds. BW

G Population data taken from Population GARY K SMITH/ALAMY*
estimates of birds in Great Britain and the
United Kingdom by Woodward et al published in
British Birds, February 2020.

In flight, Bitterns can DID YOU KNOW?
look almost owl-like or
Buzzard-like at first glance The call of the Bittern is one of the
most distinctive bird calls there is, but
the call is also individually distinctive,
too. Each male Bittern has its own
'boom', which means that by using
specialist audio equipment we can
distinguish between individuals,
allowing researchers and surveyors to
build up an accurate data set on how
many males are present each year.

26 March 2021

5 MORE REEDBED BIRDS TO FIND IN MARCH

While March can be a good time to watch reedbeds for
Bitterns, they can be very shy, so keep an eye out for these
five species while you’re at it…

OUR WILD LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY*

IMAGEBROKER/ALAMY* Water Rail

Marsh Harrier Another skulker, more often heard than seen – its squeals, usually likened to a pig, are loud and
far-carrying. During very cold weather, they are sometimes forced out into areas of more open
Fortunately, this raptor makes no effort to remain inconspicuous water, or even onto exposed mud, grassy banks and the like, where they will take a variety of
– look for it gliding low over reedbeds and nearby areas, its wings food. Found in most of the UK.
held in a shallow V shape. We never get tired of pointing out that
there are still fewer in the UK than there are Golden Eagles. Their Bearded Tit
main strongholds – East Anglia and the Somerset Levels –
though, make them accessible and easily seen. Not really a tit at all (it’s not closely
related to anything), and with more
NIGEL PYE/ALAMY* of a moustache than a beard, this is
nonetheless a very handsome
species. Even small reedbeds can
attract wandering birds in winter
(which may then stay on to breed),
and it is expanding in the UK, in
both range and numbers. Listen for
their 'pinging' calls. Found mainly
in south and east England, and
in Scotland, especially the
Tay reedbeds.

NEIL WALKER/ALAMY* Reed Bunting

Cetti’s Warbler Far from tied to reedbed habitats, they can turn up DP WILDLIFE VERTEBRATES/ALAMY*
everywhere, from back gardens to high moorland.
There’s a theme emerging here, isn’t there? This species – unusual But while they’re numerous and widespread, they
among our warblers in that it remains here in the winter – is again
very difficult to glimpse, but it advertises its presence with its very can cause birders trouble, because males
loud, utterly distinctive song, which the Collins Guide renders as moulting into or out of their distinctive
“Listen! What’s my name? Cetti Cetti Cetti. That’s it!” Mainly black-headed breeding plumage can
found south of the Humber, but rapidly spreading northwards. appear in a bewildering variety of
guises. If you see a small bird in a
reedbed that you can’t
identify, this is your
first suspect.

birdwatching.co.uk 27

My2MileBirdYear

David Chandler gives his final update
on 2020’s two-mile challenge

My last update took us to any time. I looked at the nest that evening ID – were added on the first of the month.
July, and 105 species and it wasn’t there – most of it was in Mid-month saw the world’s first Global
within two miles of the fragments on the ground – a victim of Bird Weekend. I played a part in setting a
house. You may recall that heavy rain perhaps. To my relief there new world record – 7,111 species were
House Martins were were no dead, or live, birds among the recorded on the 17th. Most of them weren’t
occupying a mud hut under our soffit. The fragments – presumably they got away. As on my patch! Short-eared Owl was, though
nest was twittering in early August and I lay in bed the next morning I could see – it took three mammals, voles
by the 17th we were expecting fledging at House Martin shadows on the window presumably, in about 20 minutes.
blind. They were checking out their old
Great White Egret home! There were three there the Black-tailed Godwit
following day, as well. I tried for a local
CARL DAY/ALAMY* Spotted Flycatcher that day but failed to
see it, and was equally successful with a
male Redstart at the end of the month...

The list got moving in September. I went
looking for a Wryneck one afternoon – it
was there that morning, in the same place
as one a few years ago. How does that
happen? It wasn’t re-found, but I did find a
Treecreeper – which was as valuable as a
head-swinging woodpecker would have
been. October boosted the list a bit more.

About 50 Golden Plovers and two distant
Whooper Swans – which needed quite a
walk to see the bill well enough to clinch

28 March 2021

MY2MILEBIRDYEAR

Golden Plovers

GARY K SMITH/ALAMY*

Glossy Ibis

Fen Drayton TONY LILLEY/ALAMY

And I used eBird for the first time and CHRISTOPHER COOK/ALAMY*
was impressed. Covid restrictions were
relaxed enough to allow me to take finale… Great White Egret to the right, lower neck. Critically, I thought its legs
guests on a Wild Day Out in late October. scan left – Glossy Ibis, scan left a bit
We had a good session – Great White more – Bittern in the open for 20 looked pink – Pink-footed Goose. If they
Egret, a Bittern aloft, Marsh Harriers, minutes. That was very special.
a vocal Water Rail and a handful of were orange it would be Tundra Bean
Beardies. Off the fen we found a December brought a Cattle Egret
small flock of Bramblings feeding on among the bulls (11th) and an Goose. But pink or orange can be hard to
Swedish Whitebeam berries, another ‘omniscience’, a ‘prayer’ or a ‘pantheon’
addition to the list. on the 29th. They’re collective nouns judge and the following morning I learnt
for godwits, Black-tailed on this
A fine show occasion. I’d waded through that there were Tundra Bean Geese in the
floodwater to get there. Lots of ducks
Just one species was added in November went up, and Lapwings, and with them area. So I looked for the bird again, to
– I found a Glossy Ibis on the 11th in – long-billed, trailing legs and white
‘Tench alley’. I wanted a better view to be wing-bars – Blackwits. make sure. There was no sign of it. It
absolutely sure, but had left my scope at
home. Thankfully, local birder Jeremy Post-sunset on the 30th saw me looked like it would be one that got away.
arrived with a scope, and confirmed the scanning through Greylags. Except one
ID. To add to the occasion, 5,000 wasn’t. It had a bi-coloured bill and a The new year dawned. I wasn’t out
Starlings put on a fine show. The Ibis was head and upper neck darker than the
still there on the 14th. I was birding with birding but a different Jeremy was, and he
Finn and we’d almost finished. An
airborne Bittern was probably the found a Pink-footed Goose…
highlight, or would have been but for the
I finished on 116. It could have been

MALCOLM SCHUYL/ALAMY* more. Birds were missed, including some I

should have seen. But there had been good

birding along the way, and chasing birds

isn’t really my style anyway. I’m thankful

for Jeremys, though. BW

birdwatching.co.uk 29

A t-a-glance

Identification
A guide to our new series of ID cards

Guillemots

Included inside the front cover of this issue of Bird Watching, you will find the third ROBERTHARDING/ALAMY*
instalment of cut-out-and-keep, at-a-glance ID cards for UK birds. This time we feature
auks and smaller gulls; geese; pipits and wagtails; black crows and ‘brown’ warblers. Have

a read over next few pages for tips on identifying the birds featured.

Auks

We cover the five species of auk Razorbill TRAVELMUSE/ALAMY* Puffin MICHAELGRANTBIRDS/ALAMY*
which you can see in UK waters
during most years, on our Colour Leg colour
ID cards. Four are regular breeders, even
in internationally important numbers, and All our auks are essentially pied, but the Leg colour can be a surprisingly
one, the Little Auk, is a scarce winter patterns vary subtly (eg Puffins have pale useful feature on perched birds
visitor, which usually turns up after bad faces, as well as outlandishly colourful offering restricted views, such as on
weather in the North Sea. Here are the bills; Black Guillemots are mostly black, the nesting cliffs. Notably, Puffins
key ID features to look for. or very dark brown, all over). Note that have orange feet and Black Guillemots
Guillemots are really brown and white, have bright red feet (as well as bright
Size and shape while Razorbills are black and white. red on the inside of the bill!)

This is a good starting point for identifying
any birds. Most auks are somewhat
‘penguin-like’ in shape (in fact, the
original ‘penguin’ was the flightless,
and now extinct Great Auk). But consider
whether any bird is medium-sized or
small, and also check out the shape
(and pattern) of the bill, which is crucial
in auk ID.

Little Auk (winter plumage) Black Guillemot

HUGH HARROP/ALAMY*
NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS LTD/ALAMY*

30 March 2021

Smaller gulls

Handily, there are five regular Mediterranean Gull
species of smaller gull in the UK.
Surprisingly, perhaps, BUITEN-BEELD/ALAMY*
Kittiwakes, the true ‘sea gulls’, are our
most numerous breeding gulls. Common Wing pattern wedges, etc., on the underwing. Wing-tip
Gulls breed mainly in Scotland and are pattern is useful in distinguishing adult
more widespread in winter. Black- Of the hooded gulls, fully adult Common Gull and Kittiwake at a glance.
headed Gulls are ubiquitous, and Mediterranean and Little Gulls have just
Mediterranean Gulls are increasing about no white in the upper wing. Little Soft part colour.
exponentially as British breeders; while Gulls have dark underwings (with a neat
Little Gulls are largely seen on passage. white trailing edge), Med Gulls have a Note the colour of the bill and legs and
white underwing. Black-headed Gulls have feet. These can be surprisingly useful.
Size and head colour some black in the upper wing and dark Kittiwakes have black legs and feet.

Size almost goes without saying, but
remember that Little Gulls are the
smallest of all gulls, looking at times
more like rounded-winged marsh terns.
Kittiwakes are surprisingly small
(though not in the Little league). Three
of our smaller gulls are ‘hooded’
(Black-headed, Mediterranean and Little)
in breeding plumage (though they only
have remnant head spots when out of the
breeding season). Note the hood colour
(Black-headed Gulls have brown hoods,
not black), and also note that
Mediterranean Gulls have ‘fuller’ hoods
than Black-headed Gulls.

Little Gull Black-headed Gull

STEVE YOUNG/ALAMY* DAVID ROBERTSON/ALAMY*

Common Gull Kittiwake

SIMON STIRRUP/ALAMY* ARTERRA PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY*

birdwatching.co.uk 31

Grey Geese

Pink-footed Goose Greylag Goose

MIKE LANE/ALAMY* MIKE LANE/ALAMY*

We have five regular species of Wing pattern European White-fronted Goose
grey goose in the genus Anser.
But instead of looking at Taiga Most grey geese have more or less brown
Bean Goose, we are covering the two wings, with patches of grey. Greylags have
distinct races of White-fronted Goose, extensive amounts of pale grey in the
which are much commoner, and are pretty upper wing, visible at some distance.
straightforward to distinguish in the field. Pink-footed Geese also have ample frosty
grey areas of wing feathering.

Size Tail pattern TBKMEDIA.DE/ALAMY*

Greylag Geese are much bigger than the One of the best ways to separate Pink- Geese have longer, orange bills, while the
other species, which are all roughly the footed Goose from the similar Tundra European (aka Russian) subspecies has a
next size down, standing out as much Bean Goose is the tail pattern. Bean Geese smaller pink bill.
smaller in mixed flocks of Greylags. have only a narrow terminal band of white
on their dark tails, while Pinkfeet have
Head and overall plumage much more white in the tail.

A quick look at head colour (and overall Soft part colours
pattern) is very useful. Note that Tundra
Bean Geese can also have limited white It is essential to note the colour of the bill
‘fronts’, a bit like the White-fronted Geese. and legs/feet of any goose you are having
Only White-fronted Geese have black belly problems identifying. For instance, Tundra
bands, though (which vary considerably Bean Geese have orange legs; and in
from individual to individual). Whitefronts, Greenland White-fronted

Tundra Bean Goose Greenland White-fronted Goose

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS LTD/ALAMY*
BUITEN-BEELD/ALAMY*

32 March 2021

Other Geese

Canada Goose

LARRY CORBETT/ALAMY*

In essence this ID card covers the Head, neck and breast pattern Tail pattern
common ‘black’ geese in the genus
Branta, plus the naturalised Egyptian The Branta geese are not difficult to Note that most of these geese have largely
Goose, included for good measure. The separate with good views of the front black tails. However the Brent Geese have
long-naturalised and very large Canada end. Canadas have a white chin patch tails which look pretty white from a
Goose is a widely distributed bird, while and pale breast, Barnacles have white distance. So, even very distant flying Brent
Barnacles are somewhat localised and the faces (with a dark lore line) and Brents Geese look black at the front end and
Brent Geese subspecies are found at have wholly dark heads, necks and white at the rear end. Indeed, Brent Geese,
different coastal sites in the UK. breasts, apart from a small white being not much bigger than Mallards, can
‘collar’ mark on the neck. look like black ducks with white tails!

Brent Goose Brent Goose

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS LTD/ALAMY* ANDREW DARRINGTON/ALAMY*

Barnacle Geese Egyptian Goose

NATURFOTO-ONLINE/ALAMY* birdwatching.co.uk 33PHOTOGRAPHY GMBH/ALAMY*

Pipits (and Sky Lark)

We have four regular pipits in the Tree Pipit BUITEN-BEELD/ALAMY*
UK. Meadow Pipit and Rock
Pipit are largely resident birds, Face pattern Bill and Legs
Tree Pipits are summer visitors, and
Water Pipits are scarce winter visitors. One of the best ways to separate pipit Bill shape and colour and the colour of the
Sky Lark has been thrown in for good species (especially the very similar legs is important in distinguishing these
measure, as a comparison species. Meadow and Tree) is to concentrate on similar looking birds. If you get a ridiculously
the face pattern. Look for eye-rings, dark good view, you can also check the rear claw:
Back pattern lines ‘through’ the eye and pale Longer and straighter in Meadow Pipit,
supercilia (‘eyebrows’). shorter and curved in Tree Pipit…
A very useful way to see whether a
pipit you suspect of being a Rock or
Water Pipit is to check the back pattern.
Both these closely-related, larger pipit
species have almost plain backs,
lacking the well-defined black streaks of
the other two species.

Underparts

All our pipits are streaky underneath
(though in spring, prior to migration from
the UK, Water Pipits can be virtually
unstreaked on the underparts). Meadow
Pipits have lines of similar looking black
streaks; while on Tree Pipit the streaking
is densest and more coarse on the
(ochre-tinged) breast, much finer on the
(white) flanks. Rock Pipits are very
smudgily streaked, while Water Pipits
have fine lines on a white background.

Meadow Pipit Lark

DAVID WHITAKER/ALAMY* FLPA/ALAMY*

Water Pipit Rock Pipit

34 March 2021 BUITEN-BEELD/ALAMY* AGAMI PHOTO AGENCY/ALAMY*

‘Brown’ Warblers

Cetti’s Warbler

BUITEN-BEELD/ALAMY*

To pair up with the essentially Sedge Warbler IMAGEBROKER/ALAMY* Reed Warbler DAVID TIPLING PHOTO LIBRARY/ALAMY*
brown pipits, we have brown Grasshopper Warbler Garden Warbler
warblers. This is not a ‘proper’
grouping of course, and we have included JEROME MURRAY - CC/ALAMY* birdwatching.co.uk 35DOUGLAS MERRICK/ALAMY*
members of four genera among this
bunch. Of these, Grasshopper and Cetti’s
Warbler are notoriously skulking and
Garden Warbler (more of a woodland bird
than the others) can also be very difficult
to get a good look at.

Upperpart colours

Though all these birds are essentially
brown, note the presence or absence of
streaking and the tone of the brown
involved. Only Sedge and Grasshopper
Warblers are streaked on their upperparts.

Head shape and pattern

Though head shape is variable (as the
feathers can be moved by the bird), it is
still useful. But, face pattern is even more
useful. Note that it is only Sedge Warbler
which has such a broad and long pale
supercilium (‘eyebrow’). Garden Warbler
is notoriously plain-faced.

Song

Though impossible to convey on an ID
card, songs are extremely useful for
distinguishing warblers in spring. All five
of these warblers have very distinct songs
(though some people struggle between the
rhythmic Reed Warbler and the more
random-sounding Sedge Warbler songs;
and Garden Warblers sound very like
Blackcaps). Learn these songs and it will
save a lot of time and effort!

‘Black’ crows

Jackdaws

SAMUEL BAY/ALAMY*

We cover the five ‘black’ looking Size grey facial skin to match). Jackdaw bills
UK crows (in reality the are tiny, and Choughs’ brilliant red bills
feathers also have colourful Size is an essential first step in crow are long, down-curved and pointed.
iridescence in blues and purples, and identification. Just remember that Carrion
Jackdaws have lots of dark grey Crow and Rook are the standard, Raven is Wing and tail shape
plumage). There is another crow, the gigantic in comparison, and Jackdaw is
Hooded Crow, which is the same as a tiny. The uniquely shaped Chough is Make a note of the wing shape and tail
Carrion Crow except for its pale grey body closer to Jackdaw than the others (in size). shape of any problem crow seen in flight.
(the head, upper breast, wings and tail Note that Ravens look long-necked and
are black). We have two more corvid Bill shape and colour billed, as well as long-tailed (the tail being
species in the UK, of course, the Jay and wedge-shaped). Note also that Ravens
the Magpie, but they will have to wait for In line with their general bulk, Ravens have unexpectedly narrow, tapering wings
another bunch of ID cards! also have huge bills compared to the compared to the broader looking wings of
somewhat similar Carrion Crow. The rook the mid-sized species.
has a pale based peg of a bill (with pale

Raven Carrion Crow

MIKE LANE/ALAMY* RICHARD PETERS/ALAMY*

Chough

Rook NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS LTD/ALAMY* MIKE LANE/ALAMY*

36 March 2021

Wagtails

Grey Wagtail

MARTIN CREASSER/ALAMY*

Pied Wagtail White Wagtail

OLIVER SMART/ALAMY* IMAGEBROKER/ALAMY*

There are three breeding species Wagtail has a very long tail. Even birds in places. Grey Wagtails are grey backed but
of wagtail in the UK, but we have flight can be split into one of three with a have brilliant lemon yellow on the
included a couple of scarcer passage working knowledge of tail length. undertail (and belly in breeding plumage).
subspecies of two species, from
continental Europe (White Wagtail and Colour Call
Blue-headed Wagtail), for comparison.
Pied/White Wagtails are essentially black, Learn wagtail calls and even fly-by birds
Tail length grey and white birds, lacking strong can be identified, at least to the three
yellow tones (juveniles have a yellowish species here (not necessarily to
In short, the Pied/White Wagtails have buff hint in places). Yellow/Blue-headed subspecies). Note that Yellow Wagtails are
long tails; Yellow/Blue-headed Wagtails Wagtails are largely grey and yellow summer visitors, not appearing until April,
have relatively short tails; and Grey (notably green-backed), with white in and departing in the autumn.

Blue-headed Wagtail Yellow Wagtail

BUITEN-BEELD/ALAMY* NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS LTD/ALAMY*

BW

birdwatching.co.uk 37





Natural predators

A hunting Barn Owl is a beautiful, unforgettable sight, but they all
too frequently fall victim to poisoning, accidental and deliberate

WORDS JOHN MILES

Ihave been working with Barn Owls live a long time, with a male at farmer found the male,
since 1981, when I first found a eight years old and a female at also dead, out in the field.
natural nest site in an old oak along nine, and that they can move
the River Gelt in Cumbria. around a great deal, with a bird I suspected that because a local house
The following year I erected two found dead in a barn in North was for sale, rather than have viewers
nestboxes in a barn by my house. At first, Berwick, while the extreme think there was a problem with mice and
they were not used, but by 1984, I had my was one found dead in Brighton! rats, the owners had overdosed the area
first pair using the boxes. Over the years, with poison.
I have had great success with these A double brood in 2002 (a side-
boxes. In fact, it was not until 2018 that I effect of foot and mouth disease, with
had to change one of the boxes, due to rot no stock in the fields by my house), saw
owing to a hole in the roof of the barn! 15 young, with 14 fledging!
Over those years, a number of key facts
have come out of my observations of the The site is not affected by heavy road
boxes. One is that food can differ from use, so I haven’t lost birds that way. It
year to year, with breeding success of was also not affected by poison.
course dependent on it. The local school
did ‘pellet’ work, showing that in poor But this is not always the case, as I was
vole years, shrews were increasingly to find out at one highly productive site,
taken as food. where the farmer actually asked for
Ringing showed that the birds could boxes. Poison had never been an issue
there, but in 2014, working for a local
Barn Owl group, we found the female
sitting on five eggs, but sadly dead. The

Monitoring Barn Owls by ringing Was this poor Barn Owl
as chicks, is invaluable poisoned to help a house sale?

JOHN MILES
JOHN MILES

40 March 2021

BARN OWL CONSERVATION

Natural small mammal control,
a hunting Barn Owl in action

STEVE ALLEN TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY / ALAMY

And don’t think this is an isolated case. Kestrels as well as Barn
Here is what the Barn Owl Trust say Owls are being used as
on their website: “The vast majority of natural pest control in
rat poisons used these days (such Israel and elsewhere
as Neosorexa and Slaymor) are highly
toxic SGARs –‘Second Generation
Anticoagulant Rodenticides’. Most birds
of prey are contaminated. The extent to
which SGARs have contaminated
small-mammal predators is shocking.”

The number of Barn Owls
contaminated reached its highest level in
2015, with an alarming 94%. A more
recent figure, from 2017, was 90%.

Results from the Predatory Bird
Monitoring Scheme showed that 100% of
the Kestrels they examined in 2011 were
contaminated, along with 94% of Red
Kites! And the problem is not restricted
to a particular area. The analysed corpses
were sent in by the public from across

birdwatching.co.uk 41

STEVE ALLEN TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY I–srbayerlesdeuecsianghupgoeispoansusasegehuogf realyp,tors Britain. In other words, virtually the entire
they are being protected populations of these three species have
Barn Owls are experts at been feeding on rodents that contain rat
removing potential poison. Sparrowhawks (93%), Buzzards
pest mammals (48%), Peregrines (35%) and even
Hedgehogs (57%) contain SGAR poisons.
42 March 2021
What you have to remember is that
these species can help the farmer, the
industrialist, even the gamekeeper and
the garden bird feeder, by removing the
mice and rats from their properties. Often
the numbers of these rodents have
exploded in numbers due to food being
freely available.

Poisoned prey

An approved training course for the
responsible use of poison is available, but
of course, that still does not stop the
problem, entirely.

So, can we do more to prevent this
problem? We only have to look across at
Israel for what can be done. A staggering
80% of rat poison has been removed from
the whole country.

This does not happen overnight, and
a lot of work went into educating farmers
and industrialists to make them change.
This was even hampered by a fear of owls,
probably dating right back to the Roman
occupation, when owls were nailed to
doors to keep evil spirits away.

Another problem with this poison was
that passage migrant birds of prey were
being affected by the fields full of poisoned
prey. Being the scene of one of the largest
migrations of birds of prey in the world,
moving from Europe and Asia to Africa
and back again, Israel felt it had to do
something about it.

The main action was to expand the
population of Barn Owls and Kestrels to do
the work of removing the rodents. This
was done by adding large numbers of
nestboxes around the fields and villages to
keep the rodent population at a reasonable
level, and prevent them from damaging
crops. From 20 nesting boxes in 1983 in
Israel, they have succeeded in
increasing the number to 4,500. There
are also 120 nesting boxes in the
Palestinian Authority and 380 in Jordan.
The scheme does not stop there.

With so much success, the idea of

BARN OWL CONSERVATION

INCAMERASTOCK/ALAMYTHE MAIN ACTION WAS TO EXPAND
SIMON LITTEN/ALAMY* THE POPULATION OF BARN OWLS
AND KESTRELS TO DO THE WORK OF
REMOVING THE RODENTS

natural control has been sold to other France has also shown an interest. Lantra is the main body involved with
countries. In Syria, Lebanon and across Europe is home to the Common Vole, training for the use of this poison, and
the Sinai in Egypt, farmers and which like the Short-tailed Vole in the claim it is one of the leading awarding
landowners have been to seminars on UK, can explode in dramatic numbers, bodies for land-based industries in both
using this form of control. Countries like causing damage to crops. France, in the the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Morocco and Tunisia have joined in, not past, has covered fields with poison to
forgetting, on the north side of the clear them of this vole, causing secondary It develops quality training courses
Mediterranean, Spain and Greece. poisoning in many species. So, it would be and nationally recognised qualifications
a great change to see France use the owl that are delivered through a national
Cyprus took to the scheme quickly, as project as a way forward. network of training ‘Provider Partners’.
rat poison was being subsidised for
farmers to use. Given that a Barn Owl Inadequate training So why not train the individuals to
family can consume between 2,000 and use natural predators?
6,000 rodents a year, it should be easy to So why are we in the UK not using
sell to farmers, as long as that subsidy on predators to remove pest species? I asked As far as Lantra know, there
poison is removed. More than 50 boxes the Department for Environment, Food is no encouragement from Government
have been added so far, although there has and Rural Affairs for the amount of rat to make use of predators for rodent
been a slow uptake by the Barn Owls, poison used in Britain, each year, but they control on farms.
maybe because of the amount of secondary claim no one knows. Rat poison is freely
poison already in them and Kestrels. available to buy. So, who will provide that
encouragement? The RSPB says it
A hunting Barn Owl, one of should come from the top level in
the most majestic sights in Government, but at present, they are not
pushing for it. Natural England actually
British birdwatching offers licenses to kill other ‘pest’ species,
which sadly includes those which could
also remove rats and mice, such as Foxes
and Buzzards!

So, we are left with no one espousing
the cause, especially as so many wildlife
charities actually use the same rat poison
to remove rats from their bird feeders!
Unless we start to take action, it looks like
secondary poisoning of our birds of prey
and especially the Barn Owl is here to
stay in Britain!

birdwatching.co.uk 43

Caugh t on òilm

Barn Owls are a favourite subject for photographers – read how
one expert captured a wonderful image, in the days before digital

W hen award-winning “The Barn Owl, among the most an ambitious project. Clambering about on
photographer Stephen Dalton familiar and widely distributed birds in high roofs, hauling heavy equipment up
began his career in the 1960s, the world, has few rivals for allure and ladders, hanging onto the tower by my
no photographer had yet succeeded in sheer beauty. When seen quartering low fingertips with one hand while erecting
capturing pin-sharp, high-quality over a meadow in twilight, it’s difficult to lights and blocking entrances with the
photographs of insects and other smaller avoid gazing in admiration at the bird’s other, was a daunting prospect. More
animals in flight on film. There were no mesmerising flight. Even when examined important was maintaining the owl’s
digital cameras nor high-speed film. close-up, the variety of mottled shades of sense of security and making sure it did
apricot brown, white and silvery blue soft not desert the nest and the young because
Persistence, hard work and sheer faith plumage is a joy to behold. of all the activity.”
pushed him to experiment with a variety
of methods that had never been attempted, “Back in 1971, long before digital Equipment setbacks
in order to capture high-speed images. cameras, photographs of birds in flight “Careful planning of the operation would
Armed with an understanding of flight were rare. The speed of high-quality film
mechanics and photographic methods, two was at least 40,000 times slower than be crucial, and progress was very slow due
years of repeated experiments brought today’s highly sensitive digital cameras,
success: he captured a sharply focused and efficient autofocus was decades away. to, among many factors, the limited time
image of a Barn Owl flying to its nest. And
just like that, he had created the art of “I had never photographed a Barn Owl I allowed for setting up the equipment for
high-speed nature photography. before, so when I heard a rumour that an
owl had been spotted flying into the fear of upsetting the birds.
The extract and images below and right ornamental tower of a local church, I went
are taken from Stephen’s new book to investigate. The next evening, I settled “After numerous equipment setbacks
Capturing Motion: My Life in High down in the church car park to watch and,
Speed Photography which is out now sure enough, as the light was fading, and much coming and going, I employed
priced at £24.95 a pale form appeared from seemingly
nowhere and settled on a gable cross. After two cameras set up side by side in the
Stephen’s story... pausing for a few seconds, the owl flew
into one of the eight entrances to the hide, both set on ‘B’ (bulb), one camera
“The subject of my first attempt at tower. What’s more, when peering
high-speed photography of a flying bird through my binoculars it was clear that containing Kodachrome that had to be sent
was a Barn Owl. It also turned out to be the bird had a small rat in its beak,
one of the most frustrating and ambitious confirming that it was nesting and feeding away to Kodak for processing, which took
projects I’ve ever attempted. its young in the tower.
a week. The other camera was loaded with
Frog captured mid-dive “A day or two later, I had a cup of tea
with the vicar and explained that I was Panatomic-X black-and-white film.
a wildlife photographer who wanted to
photograph a Barn Owl. I went on to “After three weeks of this, my patience
explain that the photography would be far
from a simple operation, involving sets of was running thin. Although I had
ladders, scaffolding boards across the roof
spans and closing off seven of the eight managed to obtain a few indifferent
tower entrances of the octagonal tower.
A hide and a plethora of photographic and pictures, none of them did justice to the
electronic paraphernalia would be needed,
including a large 12-volt car battery, which bird and the setting. A couple of evenings
would have to be hauled up and down the
ladders for charging every other day. Much had passed when, out of the blue,
to my surprise the vicar didn’t blink an
eyelid, and even seemed to relish the everything jelled. The next morning,
prospect of his church and owl being the
centre of all this activity for several weeks. I withdrew a strip of dripping negatives

“It wasn’t until I returned home that I from the developing tank and saw the
began to have doubts about taking on such
image that had been in my mind’s eye for

weeks. All four flashlamps had fired

correctly, and the owl’s wings were in the

perfect position.

“I am delighted to report that a

month later the owlets matured and flew,

while the following season, the birds

returned to their old home none the worse

for being photographed”. BW

STEPHEN DALTON Taken from Capturing
Motion: My Life in High
Speed Photography by
Stephen Dalton,
with permission from
Firefly Books.

44 March 2021

BARN OWL PHOTOGRAPHY STEPHEN DALTON

birdwatching.co.uk 45

DON’T DELAY TOM BAILEY

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My200BirdYear
CHALLENGE!

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ID CHALLENGE

IDChallenge

This month’s challenge is all about
waterbirds which habitually dive to feed

ILLUSTRATIONS: LAUREN NICHOLSON Waterbirds which dive nutritious morsel, be it fish, mollusc Bird 3:
for food give us plenty or even plant material. All these
of scope for choosing birds are experts at getting beneath
ID Challenge birds, the surface and swimming for their
this month. The group includes dinner. Here are a selection of six
everything from Kingfishers to such birds, not necessarily in the act
Cormorants, via diving ducks, auks, of diving, but all very capable of it.
Dipper, grebes and divers All you have to do (for the challenge)
themselves, to name most of the is name them. Then turn the page
broad groups. Some dive from the for our solutions and the answers,
air, but most dive from a swimming of course. Turn once more for some
position to get under the water in tips on identification of diving birds
search of a (presumably) tasty and and beyond. Enjoy the challenge!

CAN YOU NAME THESE
DIVING WATERBIRDS?

Bird 4:

Bird 1 :

Bird 5:

Bird 2: Bird 6: TURN
THE PAGE

To see how many
you got right!

birdwatching.co.uk 47


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